Jabra Elite 5

Package and appearance of the Jabra Elite 5

In the Jabra Elite 5’s small box, there is a charging case that houses the in-ear headphones. There are also three pairs of colour-matched silicone ear tips in various sizes. Two of the pairs are hygienically shrink-wrapped.

The Jabra Elite 5 are available in two colour schemes: titanium/black for fans of a classic palette or gold/beige if you fancy something a little flashier.

The outsides of each feature are a function button. According to the manufacturer, ear shapes and auditory canals were measured and evaluated to create a universal fit with an ergonomic shape. The headphones meet the IP55 protection standard and are thus protected against dust and even jets of water. So you can take “Singing in the Rain” literally while listening with these in-ears; it’s no problem for the Elite 5.

Technology

Six miniature microphones provide noise cancellation and enable the in-ears calling capabilities. The Elite 5 ‘s ANC feature is a hybrid active noise cancellation. The internally and externally mounted microphones are said to help the in-ears reduce both ambient noise and noise in the ear canal. An Ambience mode is also on board. However, here the feature is called “HearThrough”. This function reliably lets ambient noise through. So you don’t miss any train announcements, and you don’t have to take the in-ears out of your ears for short conversations.

The Elite 5’s 6 mm diaphragms deliver audio from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. This corresponds to the typical human hearing range. For phone calls, the range is limited to frequencies between 100 Hz and 8 kHz, which are important for speech. Unfortunately, Jabra does not provide information about the maximum sound pressure level. These in-ears establish a wireless connection to a smart device via Bluetooth 5.2. They also offer multipoint connection, enabling connection to two devices at the same time. In addition to SBC and AAC, the higher-resolution aptX codec is also used.

Handling

To pair the Jabra Elite 5, simply hold both buttons for three seconds. For good measure, with Android and Microsoft devices, Fast Pairing and Microsoft Swift can be used. Pairing and connecting these in-ears is accompanied by a female assistant voice. On Android devices, extensive tips are displayed during the initial Bluetooth connection. Setting up these headphones is, therefore, very convenient. However, the other functions require a bit of effort to learn. No less than 13 different functions can be controlled with the two buttons on these earbuds. The Elite 5 surprised us in our test with an Android smartphone as the control for the ANC feature that can be called up via the status bar. On top of that, the headphone’s battery status and that of the charging case are also displayed in the same place. Incidentally, these earbuds automatically detect wind noise and then automatically switch on the ANC feature.

Battery Life

The Jabra Elite 5 allow you to listen to music for seven hours with ANC enabled. Without ANC, this is possible for two hours on top of that. The charging case is then ready for up to three charging cycles. Consequently, these in-ears can be used for a total of 28 hours with ANC and up to 38 without ANC without any further power supply. A small LED on the back of each earphone indicates not only the pairing status but also the charging status of the integrated battery. Thanks to their quick-charge function, ten minutes of charging time is enough for one hour of music enjoyment. The full charge is reached after three hours. An LED on the front of the charging case indicates whether it is ready to charge the in-ears. If not, the case and headphones can be charged via a USB cable. The included charging cable in a matching colour looks good but is very short at a length of just under 20cm. If the Elite 5 are not used for a long period, they do not run down after short use; they wait on standby for up to 275 days to be woken up again.

Comfort

The fit of the Jabra Elite 5 is very comfortable. They nestle almost perfectly against the ear cup and the ear canal. When removing an earphone, playback does not have to be stopped. The single in-ear automatically switches to standby. If the removed headphone is deposited in the charging case, the other one can continue to work in single mode. In addition, the control of these in-ears is reliable, and the latency between the button command and the execution of the respective action is sufficiently fast.

App connection

With the associated Jabra Sound+ app (iOS, Android), the Elite 5’s sound can be individually adjusted via an equalizer. With the listening profiles “Commute”, “Public” and “Private”, three optimised pre-sets are available. An individual hearing profile can be created with the MySound feature via a listening test and personal information. The app itself can also be personalised, thanks to widgets. “Spotify Tap” is also offered as a special function. This allows Spotify to continue to be listened to on another paired smart device with a tap of the finger at the point where it was last paused.

ANC and button functions can also be adjusted individually very easily here – and the same goes for choosing a voice assistant. The app’s Soundscapes feature was a bit surprising. It plays soundscapes for relaxing and falling asleep. If audio is played here, unfortunately, the previous media application loses its focus. Before you’re able to make the in-ears button functions control Spotify etc. again, the corresponding app must be brought into the foreground.

The equalizer in the app is easy to use. Its pre-sets differ distinctly from each other and are practical throughout. Once again, this shows the sonic potential of these headphones. As an extra-special bonus feature, the Elite 5 can also be tracked worldwide via the app. A great function not only for the forgetful but also (at least in the short term) for theft detection.

Sound of the Jabra Elite 5

The Elite 5 cleanly reproduce every frequency range. In this sense, their sound is balanced. On first listen, however, it’s the transparent and surprisingly open highs that stand out. These in-ears also reproduce mids in wonderful detail. Vocals and speech sound correspondingly differentiated. However, they tend to have a subtle hiss depending on the production. Guitar music, such as rock, alternative and metal, also benefits from the fine resolution of the mids. Music lovers get a cool rather than warm sound with the Elite 5. If you like transparency and crystal-clear sound, you will therefore be really happy with these headphones. And in addition to this, the Jabra Elite 5 offer rich bass into the low bass range for pop, EDM and urban music.

In terms of volume, these in-ears are sufficiently powerful. And the sound dynamics are also convincing. Emotions are conveyed as promised. The sonic depth gradation is impressive. It lets you rediscover lots of reverberation in many well-known music productions. The acoustic shielding is successful and the ANC feature works reliably. The tonal changes when noise cancellation is turned on are minimal. The only effect on the sound of the music is that the bass then seems slightly fuller and rounder.

The Elite 5’s Ambience mode, on the other hand, only proves helpful at very low volumes. It primarily allows voices to pass through. However, this happens so quietly that the actual purpose of the function is not really fulfilled. Here, the otherwise convincing sound tuning of the Elite 5 is, for once, not that good. Still, listening to music with these headphones is just plain fun.